Netflix considering streaming Jake Paul, PBC boxing matches

After much pushing and prodding, it appears that Netflix is getting serious about live sports.

The California-based behemoth has talked about streaming a boxing card featuring YouTube influencer and boxer Jake Paul, according to the Wall Street Journal's Jessica Toonkel. It has also held discussions with Premier Boxing Champions, a major promotional company helmed by Al Haymon.

Although many boxing fans aren't true believers in Jake Paul's in-ring skills, his audience has proved to be a lucrative one as they tune in to watch him fight. Yet a deal with PBC could be even more beneficial to Netflix as the promotion has a deep roster of talents in multiple weight classes.

Should one or both of these deals come to pass, Netflix could potentially pick up some of the slack left from the impending departure of Showtime Sports from the fight game. In late October, Paramount announced that it was shuttering the premium cable channel's sports division after nearly four decades of live boxing and mixed martial arts broadcasts. That came nearly five years after HBO Sports ended its own boxing broadcasts, a decision made prior to the merger that formed what's currently known as Warner Bros. Discovery. In the United States, ESPN is the largest player in combat sports by default due to deals with Top Rank and UFC, while streaming service DAZN holds rights to Oscar de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and U.K.-based Matchroom Boxing.

Netflix has long resisted calls to show live sports because of the escalating rights fees demanded by leagues and promotions. As Toonkel wrote on Friday:

"Many streaming services have moved to make live sports available on their platforms. While companies like Amazon and Alphabet’s YouTube have paid hefty price tags for the right to stream live sports like National Football League games, Netflix executives have resisted the trend because of the escalating costs of sports rights.

"'We aren’t anti-sports, we’re pro-profit,' Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos said in January, adding that the company’s stance might change. Netflix has turned to streaming live events to promote its programming, as it is doing with 'The Netflix Cup.'”

In some ways, however, boxing could be a smart play for the company if it's truly considering live sports. Boxing cards are fewer and farther between compared to team sports, and even taking one superstar fighter won't cost nearly as much as having to pay for the rights of multiple major league teams.